My rabbit is pregnant. How to tell how far along she is without a vet?

They are quite cute! The best way to determine pregnancy in a rabbit is via a physical exam. Other symptoms include weight gain, nesting, fur pulling or aggressive behavior. Gestation is short, about 4 weeks. They can mate as soon as a few days after kindling (giving birth), so it would be recommended to separate them until you can determine genders and pregnancy status. You can read about how to determine sex in rabbits at the link below. https://www.petcoach.co/article/sexing-rabbits/

Thanks for reaching out about Lola. Late in the pregnancy you might be able to palpate fetuses, but should be careful not to damage them. With pseudopregnancy she can nest build, have mammary development and vulvar engorgement and lactate, so not easy to tell. A veterinarian should be able to ultrasound, but you will know in a short time either way as gestation is less that a month. Good luck.

So male rabbits cannot be spayed, they can be castrated. Are you 100% that they are all done, and that you dont have a female who is actually a male? One of these must be the case. You could ask the vet to spay her whilst pregnant, it is more risky though. You could just wait until the rabbits are born and have them euthanized.

The best way to tell how far along she is in her pregnancy is to take her into your vet for an exam. The vet can do a blood test looking for the hormone relaxin that is produced at 22 days gestation or later. Further along in her pregnancy, x-rays and an ultrasound can be done to better pinpoint at which point she is at in her gestation. Regular vet care is very important for a pregnant dog, so I would take her into the vet sometime this week for an exam.

Gestation in rats is only 21 days (21 days from mating to delivery of pups) so if Violet is pregnant you likely won’t have long to wait. Generally by 2 weeks after mating you will notice that their belly is distended. If so, keeping them singly housed until delivery and until the rat pups are weaned at 3 weeks is recommended. In addition, not disturbing the Mom/not changing the bedding for the first week after delivery is also recommended to prevent stress induced cannibalism of the pups. Veterinary ultrasounds are usually hundreds of dollars but call around at both traditional and exotics practices, some may offer ultrasounds at a minimal fee for a rat. In the meantime, make sure that Violet has plenty of food and water as well as nesting material like cotton nestlets/cardboard huts. Good luck!

I am not sure if you bought all the rabbits together and were told they were all females, or if you accidentally bought a pregnant rabbit, or if you mated her. This may sound silly, but you should make sure that all the rabbits are female, because if there is a male in the cage, he needs to be separated from the females and the babies. Nursing mothers are very secretive, and usually only nurse once or twice a day. They only do so when they feel safe, usually just before dawn and/or just after dusk. It's unlikely you will catch the mother nursing, so that can't be used as a clue. Rabbits who are about to give birth will pull their fur out to make a nest. If any of the female rabbits are missing fur, she is likely the mother. Should you have one male in there accidentally and two females, they both could have had babies. In that case, the male should be separated, and the mothers can stay together because it will be impossible to tell which baby belongs to which rabbit. Just make sure the cage is extra large so they both have plenty of room for their nests.

Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach is a group of online veterinarians who do not have access to any adoptable pets...etc. If you are looking for a breed recommendation, a mixed breed shelter rescue is always a good option because they tend to be healthier than purebred dogs (though this is not always the case). Also, if a dog has been in foster care, you can get a pet used to cats, children...etc. You will also get a good idea of the personality from the foster family. Regarding purebred dogs, breeds like Australian Cattle Dogs, Corgis, Australian Shepherds and Border Collies are all generally hardy dogs who may fall within your size expectations (though some breeders may breed larger dogs). These are all working dogs so be sure to do your homework. Hounds tend to be hardy dogs but if it gets cold (and I assume it does), they don't have a thicker coat to help keep them warm. Many of the smaller Terriers (Irish Terrier, Lakeland Terrier) are also hardy and smart but they are terriers so do your homework. I hope this helps.